• Cutting Back — Food Industry Begins to Embrace Lower Sodium Guidelines
• Made-to-Order Meals Help Healing in Hospitals
• Research Shows Babies May Need More Than Breast Milk
• New Measure Trumps HDL Levels in Protecting Against Heart Disease
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Learn about the potential heart benefits of chocolate and nuts in this month’s issue of Today’s Dietitian. Read the “Today’s CPE” article, take the 10-question online test, and earn two CPEUs!

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Made-to-Order Meals Help Healing in Hospitals
To encourage patients to eat, hospitals are beginning to broaden their menu to include meals that meet their dietary restrictions and are appetizing, even if this means altering a family-favorite recipe, according to The New York Times.

Research Shows Babies May Need More Than Breast Milk
A new study in the BMJ reports that in the first six months of life, babies need more than just breast milk, as reported in the Chicago Tribune.

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“If you build it, they will come.”

Ray Kinsella heard the voice’s prediction in 1989’s Field of Dreams; apparently food franchises have also heard a similar whisper and have followed its counsel for years. Depending on where you live, it may be challenging to drive a city block without passing a fast-food restaurant, maybe two.

And people, how they flock! They flock to eat high-sodium, sugar-laden meals three, four times per week and more. As Dina Aronson, MS, RD, reported at the 2010 Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo in Boston (and I later reported in Today’s Dietitian’s December 2010 print edition), Americans eat nearly one third of their calories outside the home, and approximately one half of their food dollars are spent in restaurants and otherwise away from home.

Despite efforts aimed at encouraging people to cook their dinners at home and make relaxing family mealtimes the norm, not the exception, frequent eating out seems here to stay. That fact may not be music to dietitians’ ears, but RDs may find something to smile about concerning restaurants in this month’s E-news Exclusive. Read it to find out what some restaurants are doing to better align with nationwide sodium-reduction initiatives.

— Heather W. Gurk, editor

Now you have access to all the news, articles, and professional insights found in the print magazine anytime via our digital edition. The February digital issue is now posted on our website at www.TodaysDietitian.com/digital.

Cutting Back — Food Industry Begins to Embrace Lower Sodium Guidelines 
By Lindsey Getz

While sodium is an essential nutrient that helps bind ingredients and enhance a food’s flavor and color, very little is actually necessary to the diet. Too much sodium can contribute to a host of problems, such as high blood pressure, heart attack, or stroke.

For that reason, organizations such as the American Heart Association (AHA) have been encouraging Americans to consume less sodium. In fact, the FDA and the USDA have said an individual food claiming to be healthy must have no more than 480 mg of sodium per serving. Since only 1/4 tsp of salt equates to roughly 600 mg of sodium, healthful foods must be fairly sparse on the sodium. The AHA recommends that individuals aim to eat less than 1,500 mg of sodium per day and is currently working with federal agencies to encourage food manufacturers and restaurants to reduce the amount of sodium in foods by 50% over a 10-year period. It will mean some big changes for the food industry, but many are already on board.

Full Story »

New Measure Trumps HDL Levels in Protecting Against Heart Disease

The discovery that high levels of HDL cholesterol are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease has fostered intensive research to modify HDL levels for therapeutic gain. However, recent findings have called into question the notion that pharmacologic increases in HDL cholesterol levels are necessarily beneficial to patients.

Now, a new study from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine shows that a different metric, a measure of HDL function called cholesterol efflux capacity, is more closely associated with protection against heart disease than HDL cholesterol levels themselves. Study findings could lead to new therapeutic interventions in the fight against heart disease. The new research is published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Atherosclerosis occurs with a buildup along the artery wall of fatty materials such as cholesterol. Cholesterol efflux capacity, an integrated measure of HDL function, is a direct measure of the efficiency by which a person's HDL removes cholesterol from cholesterol-loaded macrophages, the sort that accumulate in arterial plaque.

Read More »

In the March issue

Profiles of 10 deserving dietitians

Expanded clinical uses for omega-3 fats

Physicians’ nutrition education

Professional ice hockey players’ training and nutrition

Wednesday, March 9th is Registered Dietitians' Day 2011, so commemorate the occasion by ordering something cool yourself or for your professional colleagues today! Show your professional pride on RD Day and beyond with quality nutrition-themed items like shirts, coffee mugs, tote bags, mouse pads and more. It's easy and affordable on the Today's Dietitian online Gift Shop. Check out our secure online shop today or call toll-free 877-809-1659 for easy and fast ordering.